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Laughery: Ironman Boulder!

By Ron Laughery

Posted:
06/23/2013 01:00:00 AM MDT

The limits of human endurance are a moving target. I grew up during the running craze of the 1970s, when the defining event was the marathon. We all heard about that Greek guy who ran the first marathon in 490 B.C. and then died, not to mention that darned "wall" that all marathon runners seem to hit sooner or later. It seemed clear that few mere mortals could do more in a day than run a marathon.

Never underestimate the power of the human spirit.

In 1977 on the island of Oahu, an argument broke out between the Mid-Pacific Road Runners and the Waikiki Swim club over who was more fit - runners or swimmers. Adding spice to the debate, Navy Commander John Collins pointed out that Sports Illustrated had found a bicyclist with the highest level of oxygen uptake ever observed, so maybe bicyclists were best. Commander Collins, who had participated in the first-ever triathlons a few years earlier, then offered a testosterone-induced-and-certainly-preposterous proposal - combine the three toughest races already on the island - the Waikiki Rough Water Swim, the Around-Oahu Bike Race, and the Honolulu Marathon - into a one-day race and, in Collins' words, "Whoever finishes first, we'll call him the IronMan.

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" So, on February 18, 1978, 15 hardy men and women took the challenge and the first Ironman race was born - 2.4 miles in the ocean, 112 windy and rugged miles on the bike, and, for good measure, a marathon.

In a more sensible world, that would have been the end of it, but not in this one. This year, over 60,000 people from around the world will participate in full-distance Ironman races in 16 countries. Ironman is an international phenomenon that has single-handedly moved the goalposts of human endurance beyond anything imaginable just 35 years ago.

During that 35-year journey, many Ironman champions and world-class triathletes have gravitated to Boulder. Maybe it's our climate, altitude, and great cycling routes that make Boulder a great place to train. Or, maybe it's Boulder's history of supporting swimming, biking, and running competitions on a grand scale. Or, maybe it's just that, over time, Boulder has become a community of triathletes who thrive on each others' energy just by hanging out together. Whatever the reasons, Boulder is a Mecca for triathletes around the world.

And, we are about to get our own Ironman.

I've supported my son and daughter-in-law at Ironman races over the past few years, and the event that surrounds it is fantastic. While the race occurs on a single day, Ironman is a four-day festival that celebrates a fit lifestyle. Boulderites will love it.

However, it's the field of athletes who choose to accept the Ironman challenge that's always stunning. Sure, there are plenty of the hard-core triathletes whose goal is to earn a coveted invitation to October's Kona Ironman World Championship. But, it's also full of far more average folks who do an Ironman to prove to themselves that, yes, in less than 17 hours, they can swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run a marathon. It's the 22 year-old who wants to see if he's the stud he thinks he is; the 55 year-old out-of-shape office worker with a fantasy; and the 83-year old guy who has run in 23 Ironman World Championships because he sees it as a way to live longer and healthier. They are inspirations to us all.

There are two traditions at Ironman races that always move me deeply. First, as every athlete crosses the finish line, Mike Reilly, the "Voice of Ironman," announces the athlete's name to the crowd like this: "Beth... Laughery...you...are...an...Ironman!" As you sit at the finish line hearing all these new Ironmen announced to the world, it gets you thinking that, yes, maybe you, too, could be an Ironman. You could.

But, the best part of every Ironman race starts long after the gifted racers have taken their showers and had dinner. From about 11:00 p.m. until midnight, the place to be is at the finish line watching the athletes come in whose goal was just to complete the race in one piece. As they arrive, often limping and in tears, they are cheered on not just by us spectators, but also by the elite athletes who had preceded them many hours before. At that moment and like no other, you understand just how far the limits of human endurance have been stretched for us all.

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